Summary
Published in Scientific Reports (2025), this peer-reviewed study used 3D Petri Dish® micro-molds to form scaffold-free 3D microtissues. Full citation: Zein-Sabatto, Ahbid, et al. Multi-assay assessment of cytotoxicity reveals multiple mechanisms of action in 3D microtissues
Multi-assay assessment of cytotoxicity reveals multiple mechanisms of action in 3D microtissues
Research Overview
Most viability assays report a single biomarker of cell death, giving an incomplete picture. This study combined data from multiple assays using a linear mixed effects regression model and principal component analysis to see the fuller response.
Four assays with distinct mechanisms of action were applied across seven treatments and three types of microtissue culture. The combined data revealed multifaceted cellular injuries that no single assay captured — evidence that multimodal readouts are necessary to understand complex disruptions to viability in 3D models.
Key Discoveries
- Four mechanistically distinct assays combined via mixed effects regression and PCA
- Tested across seven treatments and three microtissue culture types
- Revealed multifaceted injuries invisible to any single-biomarker viability assay
